"Historical Records" is the first biographical general history of China written by the Western Han Dynasty historian Sima Qian. It is the first part of the Twenty-Four Histories. The whole book is divided into 130 chapters and more than 520,000 words, recording Our country's history of about 3,000 years from the legendary Yellow Emperor to Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty in the fourth year of Taichu has had a profound impact on the development of later history and literature. It was praised by Lu Xun as "the swan song of historians and the rhymeless "Li Sao"". Now we select 50 famous sayings from "Historical Records" for everyone to learn from. 1. A wise man will lose something if he thinks a lot; a fool will gain something if he thinks a lot. ("Historical Records: Biography of the Marquis of Huaiyin") Explanation: A smart person will always make a mistake after thinking a thousand times; a stupid person will always think more thoroughly once after thinking a thousand times. 2. Not forgetting the past is the teacher of the future. ("Historical Records: The Chronicles of Qin Shihuang") Explanation: Learning from past experiences and lessons can serve as a reference for the future. Designed to remind people of the lessons of the past. 3. Xiang Zhuang dances with sword, aiming at Pei Gong. ("Historical Records of Xiang Yu") Explanation: The purpose of Xiang Zhuang's sword dance was to assassinate Liu Bang. It is a metaphor that the true intentions of words and actions are different. 4. Many words make gold, but accumulation destroys bones. ("Historical Records·Biography of Zhang Yi") Explanation: It is criticized by everyone, even if it is as solid as iron and stone, it can be melted; if the slander continues, it will be difficult for people to survive, and they will be destroyed. Later, it was said that people's words are terrifying and can kill people. 5. If the warehouse is solid, you will know etiquette; if you have enough food and clothing, you will know honor and disgrace. ("Historical Records: Biography of Guan Yan") Explanation: If the warehouses are abundant, the people will know etiquette; if food and clothing are abundant, the people will know honor and shame. 6. A gentleman will die for a confidant, and a woman will be tolerated for a confidant. ("Historical Records: Biographies of Assassins") Explanation: A man is willing to die for someone who understands and appreciates him, and a beautiful woman is willing to modify her appearance for someone who admires her. 7. When the birds are gone, the good bow is hidden; when the cunning rabbit dies, the lackeys are cooked; when the enemy's country is destroyed, his advisers perish. ("Historical Records: The Family of King Goujian of Yue") Explanation: The cunning rabbit was killed, and the lackeys who chased the rabbit were driven away and cooked. All the birds in the sky have been caught, and the good bows and arrows can only be put away and are of no use. Once the enemy's kingdom is defeated, the ministers who made suggestions will also die. 8. If you don’t fly, you will reach the sky; if you don’t sing, you will become a blockbuster. ("Historical Records·Funny Biographies") Explanation: If the big bird doesn't fly, I won't talk about it. If it flies, it will reach the sky; if it doesn't scream, it will shock people. It is a metaphor that although he remains silent for the time being, he is actually fully prepared. Once he takes action, it will be a grand move that will shock the world. 9. When a bird is about to die, its song is mournful; when a man is about to die, his words are also kind. ("Historical Records·Funny Biographies") Explanation: When a bird is about to die, its cry is sad; when a man is about to die, his words are also kind. 10. It is better to get Jibu Yinuo than to get a hundred catties of gold. ("Historical Records: Biography of Ji Bu and Luan Bu") Explanation: Getting a hundred catties of gold is not as good as getting a promise from Ji Bu. It shows that a man must mean what he says, keep his word, and be responsible for what he says. The idiom "a promise of a thousand gold" comes from this. 11. If the family is poor, one will miss a good wife; if the country is in chaos, one will miss a good husband. ("Historical Records of the Wei Family") Explanation: A poor family will yearn for a virtuous wife, and a country in turmoil will yearn for a talented prime minister. 12. Death is inevitable for everyone. It may be heavier than Mount Tai or lighter than a feather. ("Historical Records: Book of Ren'an") Explanation: People always have to die, but the meaning of death is different. Some are heavier than Mount Tai (dying for the people); some are lighter than the hair of a swan goose (for exploiting the people and The oppressor of the people died). 13. The sparrow knows the ambition of the swan! ("Historical Records·Chen She Family") Explanation: How can a sparrow know the lofty ambitions of a swan? It is a metaphor for how ordinary people can know the ambitions of heroes. 14. Those who follow it will prosper, and those who go against it will perish. ("Historical Records·Tai Shi Gong's Preface") Explanation: Originally it means that the way of heaven and the laws of nature cannot be violated, later it means that those who obey him will prosper, and those who disobey him will perish. 15. Those who unite by rights will become separated when their rights are exhausted. ("Historical Records·Zheng Shijia Praise") Explanation: Friends who are united by power and interests will become estranged once their power is exhausted. 16. The prosperity of the world is all for the benefit of coming; the earth and soil of the world are all for the benefit of the future. ("Historical Records·Biographies of Huozhi") Explanation: People in the world are noisy and noisy, all coming for their own selfish interests; people in the world are crowded and busy, all going out for their own selfish interests. These sentences are often used to describe the old society where people were indifferent and the world was in a cold state, where people were scrambling for their own selfish interests. 17. If you continue to cut off, you will suffer from chaos. ("Historical Records: Qi Mou Hui Wang's Family") Explanation: If you fail to take decisive action when you should take decisive action, you will miss the opportunity and you will suffer disaster. 18. Those who can act may not be able to speak; those who can speak may not be able to act. ("Historical Records: Biography of Sun Tzu Wu Qi") Explanation: Those who can do it may not be able to speak, and those who can speak may not be able to do it. 19. Extreme drinking leads to chaos, extreme happiness leads to sadness. ("Historical Records·Funny Biographies") Explanation: Excessive drinking and enjoyment will lead to disaster, and extreme happiness will lead to sorrow, because things will turn to the opposite direction under certain conditions. 20. When a general is in the army, his orders will not be accepted. ("Historical Records: Biography of Sun Tzu Wu Qi") Explanation: Generals in the army do not need to accept some of the king's orders. Generals who lead troops in battle have the right to act expediently according to changes in the enemy's situation. They do not have to listen to the orders of the king who is far away in the court at all times. 21. A defeated general cannot speak bravely. ("Historical Records: Biography of the Marquis of Huaiyin") Explanation: A failed general should only learn lessons, and talking about bravery is useless and will only attract ridicule. 22. Agriculture, the foundation of the world, is the most important thing.

("Historical Records·Xiaoben Ji") Explanation: Agriculture is the foundation of the country, and nothing is more urgent than it. 23. One death and one life is a sign of friendship; one poor and one rich is a sign of friendship; one noble and one humble is a sign of friendship. ("Historical Records: Biography of Li Sheng and Lu Jia") Explanation: Only when people are at a critical moment of life and death can we see the loyalty of friendship; when people are poor for a while and then rich again, can we see the depth of friendship; when people are powerful for a while Only when someone is promoted, and then loses power and is demoted, can the trueness of friendship be tested. 24. The highest level of nobleness is the opposite of baseness, and the lowest level of baseness is the opposite of nobleness. ("Historical Records·Biographies of Huo Shi") Explanation: When prices rise to a certain limit, they will gradually fall. When prices fall to a certain limit, they will gradually rise. These two sentences illustrate the impact of the supply and demand relationship of commodities on prices. 25. If the family is poor, then a kind wife will be kind; if the country is in chaos, a good husband will be missed. ("Historical Records of the Wei Family") Explanation: When the family is poor, one thinks of a virtuous wife; when the country is in chaos, one thinks of a capable prime minister. 26. A lost horse will become thin, a lost fortune teller will become poor. ("Historical Records: Supplement to Funny Biographies") Explanation: Those who judge horses often misjudge the material of the horse because the horse is thin, and those who judge people often ignore the talent of the person because the person is poor. It shows that one cannot judge people by their appearance, and one cannot ignore people's talents because of their low status or poverty, resulting in the loss of talented people. 27. Those who rely on virtue will prosper, and those who rely on strength will perish. ("Historical Records·Biographies of Shang Jun") Explanation: Prosperity depends on virtue, and defeat depends on violence. 28. People are cutlery, and I am fish and meat. ("Historical Records: The Chronicles of Xiang Yu") Explanation: People are just knives and chopping boards, and we are fish and meat. It is a metaphor that the power of life and death is in the hands of others, and you are in a position of being slaughtered. 29. The family is rich in money and cannot sit down in the hall. ("Historical Records·Biography of Sima Xiangru") Explanation: Even if your family has a lot of wealth, there is no guarantee that you will encounter the danger of tiles falling from the eaves and injuring someone. Used to mean not to take unnecessary risks. 30. Making plans within the tent will lead to victory thousands of miles away. ("Historical Records: The Book of Emperor Gaozu") Explanation: Making the correct deployment within a small military tent determines victory on the battlefield thousands of miles away. It means that talented people do not need to go into battle themselves. 31. The promise of thousands of people is not as good as the care of one person. ("Historical Records·Biographies of Shang Jun") Explanation: Thousands of people are submissive and bow their heads in obedience, which is not as good as the outspoken argument of one person with lofty ideals. He warned those in power to be able to listen to objectionable words and tolerate those who dare to criticize them. 32. General Han Xin, the more the better. ("Historical Records: Biography of the Marquis of Huaiyin") Explanation: The original meaning is that the more troops the better, the later metaphor is that the more troops the better. . 33. Those who follow small rules cannot achieve honor and fame, and those who are abhorrent and shameful cannot achieve great achievements. ("Historical Records: Biography of Lu Zhonglian and Zou Yang" Explanation: If an individual only pays attention to small moral integrity, he will not have a good reputation; if he cannot endure small humiliations, he will not be able to achieve great achievements. 34. If you don't know the person, treat him as a friend. ("Historical Records, Zhang "Biography of Feng Tang") Explanation: If you don't know what he is like, just look at the friends he made. 35. The official position is not the one you deserve, and the salary is not the one you deserve ("Historical Records·Day"). "Biography") Explanation: If you are not qualified for an official position, you will not take it; if your salary is not what you deserve, you will not accept it. 36. Chang Si worked hard to sacrifice himself for the country's needs ("Historical Records. Report to Ren Shaoqing". Book") Explanation: I often think that when the country is in crisis, I can work hard for the country, even regardless of my own life. 37. The mountains do not let the soil, so they can become big; the rivers and the sea do not accept the small streams, so they can become big. It is so deep; the king does not exclude the common people, so he can understand his virtues ("Historical Records of Li Si") Explanation: Mount Tai does not reject the soil, so it can achieve its height; the river does not pick out the small streams, so it can achieve its profoundness. ; As the king of the country, he can prove his virtue by not turning away the people. 38. Those who unite based on their rights will become friends when their rights are exhausted ("Historical Records·Zheng Shijia Praise"): Friends who are united by power and interests. Once the power is exhausted, the friendship will be alienated. 39. One is dead and the other is a friend; one is rich and one is poor, and the other is a friend. Only when people are at a critical moment of life and death can we see the loyalty of friendship; when people become poor for a while and then become rich again, can we see the depth of friendship; only when people are promoted and demoted for a while can we test the true nature of friendship. False. 40. If his body is upright, he will not obey orders; if he is not upright, he will not obey orders. ("Historical Records of General Li") Explanation: The person in the upper position behaves uprightly, even if he does not give orders, people will obey them. If those in power do not behave properly, even if they give orders, people will not obey them. 41. A coat of gold is not the armpit of a fox; a pavilion is not a branch of a tree; a period of three generations is not the strength of a scholar. Zhiye. ("Historical Records of Liu Jing, Shu and Sun Tong") Explanation: A fox fur coat worth a thousand gold is not made from the armpit skin of a fox; the rafters of the pavilions and pavilions are not made from the branches of a tree; Xia and Shang Dynasties Zhou Saisai's industry cannot be completed by one person's wisdom. 42. When misfortunes come, blessings depend on them; 43. Accumulation of feathers can sink a boat; a group of feathers can break a shaft; a mass of words can destroy a body of gold ("Historical Records of Zhang Yi") Explanation: Although feathers are light, they can sink a boat if they accumulate too much. A pile of things that are not heavy can break an axle if piled up too much; the opinions of many people can confuse right and wrong; the accumulation of more than one slander can lead to destruction. 44. Things must come to a certain end.

("Historical Records: Biography of Mengchangjun") Explanation: The development of things has its inevitable destination, and the human condition has its original appearance. 45. Take a shower and catch your hair three times, eat and spit out food three times. ("Historical Records: Qi Taigong's Family") Explanation: Wash your head once, lift your hair three times, and spit out the food in your mouth three times after eating a meal, in order to receive guests. 46. ??If a woman is neither beautiful nor evil, she will be jealous when she enters the palace; if a man is not virtuous and dishonest, he will be suspicious when he enters the court. ("Historical Records: Biography of Bian Quecang Gong") Explanation: No matter whether a woman is beautiful or ugly, she will be jealous when she enters the palace; no matter whether a scholar is virtuous or unworthy, once he embarks on an official career, he will inevitably be suspected. 47. His words must be true, his deeds must bear fruit, and his promises must be true. ("Historical Records: Biography of Rangers") Explanation: People must be trustworthy when speaking, be decisive in doing things, and fulfill the promises they have made sincerely. 48. When prosperity comes, one must worry about decline, so be prepared for danger. ("Historical Records: Biography of Sima Xiangru") Explanation: When you are prosperous, you must consider decline; when you are safe, you must consider that there will be danger at all times. 49. It is better to get Jibu Yinuo than to get a hundred catties of gold. ("Historical Records of Ji Bu Luan Bu Biography" Commentary: Getting a hundred catties of gold is not as good as getting Ji Bu's promise. 50. How can a sparrow know the ambition of a swan. ("Historical Records of Chen She's Family") Commentary: How can swallows and sparrows be together? Do you know the ambitions of the geese and swans? Learn the wisdom of traditional Chinese culture, navigate life, and become a winner in life. 30 quality Chinese studies courses and interpretations of 150 management issues specially designed for managers, including management wisdom, leadership, organizational ecology, and longevity. , business strategies, etc. Use the fragmented time to learn, which can inspire management and life. If you are interested, click the ""Learn More" link below to start your journey of advanced development.